Debrief

There Remains No Shortage of Fifo Work in Queensland Where Competition for Contracts is Cutthroat, but Government Procrastination Over New Minerals Seaports and Rail Expansion May Hold Things Back, and Thus a Foot in Wa Might Be Good Insurance.

Sydney and London Still Far Apart

the Holy Grail of London- Sydney Non-stop Still Seems Far Away, Especially Since Oil Shot Up.

Instead, Airlines Are Now Talking of Shorter Stages With Lower Fuel Loads and Lighter Catering Weight to Allow Higher Payload Income in Order to Combat Fuel Prices. A Similar Environment Hobbled the First True Long Hauler, the Athletic 747sp, Which Traded Airframe and Payload Weight for Range.

Typically a Purpose-designed, Ultra Long-haul Passenger Version of a Heavy Jet Will Lift Up to Double the Fuel Load, but Only Half the Payload of Its Freighter Designed Variant, and Will Typically Have a Very Low Zero Fuel Weight (All Weight Above Zfw Must Only Comprise Fuel). Conversely, the All Cargo Version Will Typically Lift Twice the Payload and Half the Fuel of Its Passenger Sibling,a Much Higher Zfw Allowing the Big Cargo Uplift. The Freighter Will Typically Need an Intermediate Refuelling Stop on a Long Stage, Whereas the Passenger Version Flies Non Stop.

Payloads to Be Carried (Now of Necessity at Ever Higher Fares). So, the Dream Seems to Have Receded as Long Haul Passenger Economics Swing Towards Cargo Numbers. The Range Versus Payload Matrix is Well Illustrated in Boeing’s 747-8 Numbers. The Passenger 747-8i Version Offers a Maximum Payload Range of 8000nm (14,815km), While the Freighter Version Offers a Maximum Payload Range of Only 4000nm (7420km).

The Only Viable Basis for Sydney to London Non-stop Remains Cut Down Longer Range Variants of Boeing’s or Airbus’s Longest Legged Models Which Then Allows Only Smaller

Callsigns

While Atc Frequencies Are Suddenly No Longer Getting Ever More Crowded, Long Winded Radio Callsigns Continue to Appear. A Recent Long Haul Local Entrant Boasting Just One Aircraft and One Run Had Flight Numbers Running to Four Digits, While Some of the Smallest Aircraft Boast the Most Exotic of Callsigns. Conversely, Army Helicopters and Some Small Non- Vh Types Use Their Type And

There Remains No Shortage of Fifo Work in Queensland Where Competition for Contracts is Cut Throat.

Side Number (Eg Kiowa 049) as Their Radio Callsigns, Conveying What is Needed by Other Traffic.

However, One Callsign Grates With Many Who Hold Dear Our Few Remaining Traditions.

For Many Years the Callsign ‘aussie’ (Asy) Was Used Only by Adf Aircraft on Overseas Taskings. Then Foreign Commercial Transports on Adf Charters Started Using the Asy Callsign, Even Including Some Operators From Countries That Either Directly Oppose Our Involvement in the Operations They Are Supporting (but They Are Happy Making Money Out of Us Being There), or Are Accused by Our Government and Others of Not Pulling Their Weight Militarily in the Same Operations.

All Government Civil Charter Operations Including Defence Should, in Lieu, Use Their Own Icao Radio Callsigns. If the Adf Desires Some Differentiation, Why Not Follow Convention and Add a Uniform Prefix or Suffix to Identify These Flight, or a Letter or Number Prefix/suffix as Airlines Use to Differentiate Late or Particular Purpose Flights?

Ongoing Share Market Horrors

Toll’s Major Holders, Who Long Opposed Involvement in Airlines, Flogged Their Gifted Controlling Interest in Virgin Blue for Between 30. 5c and 60c a Share, No One Holder or Group Has Emerged in Control. Formal Takeovers Cost Money for Documentation, Registration and Underwriting, but Sir Richard Branson Could Have Regained Control for Under $150 Million, Anyone Else for Under $300 Million, and on Line With Minimal Purchase Costs.

Finially, Just Think, Had the Apa Bid for Qantas Succeeded, What Fire-sale of Qantas Assets Would Now Be in Train to Fund the Apa Loans?